


You Seem To Be Mistaken

by AlacrityAbound



Series: I Am Kuroko Tetsuya [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Attempted Kidnapping, Gen, Kuroko Tetsuya-centric, Post-Winter Cup, Self-Esteem Issues, akashi will ruin your life, kagami being a mother hen, kuroko making everyone be friends damn it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24634894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlacrityAbound/pseuds/AlacrityAbound
Summary: Kidnappings don’t quite go as planned when you can’t find the kid you’re trying to kidnap.
Relationships: Akashi Seijuurou & Kuroko Tetsuya, Kagami Taiga & Kuroko Tetsuya
Series: I Am Kuroko Tetsuya [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781164
Comments: 9
Kudos: 172





	You Seem To Be Mistaken

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe anime made me start writing fanfics again. Please talk to me about Kuroko's Basketball, I'm deprived of friends who watch it.

Even if he was a relatively healthy high school student with an Ignite Pass Kai that would knock even Aomine flat on his ass, Kuroko didn’t have much to fear from common crimes.

Probably because he wasn’t noticed by common criminals. Or anyone, for that matter.

So not only was Kuroko surprised when a hand was shoved over his mouth and nose upon exiting a bookstore with Akashi and Kagami (by whatever deities that be, Kuroko was going to make all of his friends become friends), but a small part of him was impressed. Whoever managed to grab him ran like hell, shoved him onto the nearest bus, and off they went with Akashi and Kagami looking anything but pleased.

“Let’s sit over here,” a man whispered in his ear while the other covered the fare. How generous, at least Kuroko didn’t have to worry about funds for a return trip.

“Excuse me--” he started, only for the man to elbow him and draw attention to the object in his hand.

“Try to escape and you’ll regret it.” Ah, a knife. Bodily harm was particularly common in his thriller light novels. Kuroko nodded. Being stabbed could prevent him from playing basketball for the early spring qualifiers, he couldn’t have that.

The other man joined them shortly after the not-at-all-veiled threat. As Kuroko suspected, both men took a seat on either side, comically dwarfing the smaller teen. Even without his extreme lack of presence, it would’ve been hard to spot him on the bus seat.

“This is what’s going to happen,” the man on the left began. “We’re getting off in two stops. Then, we’re making a call to your father about stopping a certain project. If he doesn’t comply--”

“Excuse me,” Kuroko piped up, holding the light novel he just purchased a bit closer to his chest. It wasn’t out of fear, though the men may have believed that. “I’m very confused. Who are you?”

“It’s just like an Akashi to present so politely, yet act so ruthlessly,” the man on the right commented.

...

Oh.

If Kuroko was a different person, he’d burst out laughing at the absurdity of being mistaken for Akashi Seijuro, let alone any member of the Akashi family. Good thing he already finished that vanilla milkshake.

Akashi would not be as merciful as Kuroko.

“I’m sorry, but you seem to be mistaken,” he informed, wallet already out and open, proudly displaying his Seirin student ID. “I’m Kuroko Tetsuya.”

If only he could’ve pulled out his phone in time to take a video of the men’s reactions. Alas, he wasn’t willing to push his misdirection too far, he’d need it soon enough. The next stop was coming up and he had to act fast before Akashi and Kagami did anything too reckless.

 _ **“EH?!?!”**_ Both men exclaimed, drawing some very unwanted attention to their corner of the bus. Just in time too, the bus was slowing down and people were beginning to shuffle around.

The perfect storm.

Using the opportunity of a nearby college student being rudely awakened from her nap - and angrily yelling at his two bus companions - Kuroko firmly clutched his belongings and simply walked off the bus with a couple carrying large grocery bags.

Once off the bus, he made note of the bus route and blended into the crowd of commuters. Quickly, but still too late, the former kidnappers realized that their victim - the wrong one at that - was no longer there.

Kuroko watched bemusedly from the sidewalk before turning towards the sound of stomping feet.

“Akashi-kun, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko greeted, possibly too nonchalant for someone who was just abducted.

Kagami, acting before thinking, all but crashed into Kuroko, holding the smaller teen close.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again, dumbass!” he yelled.

“Kagami-kun, I can’t breathe,” came the muffled reply. As Kagami pulled away, signature frown on his face (though, Kuroko noted, there was fear and relief in his eyes), Akashi stepped forward with a slight smirk.

“I told you Tetsuya could take care of himself.” Even with the reassurance, Akashi’s expression changed on a dime. “However, the intrusion was troubling. Tetsuya, did they reveal their intentions?”

Before Kagami could interject with more aggressive concern, Kuroko answered. “Hai. They didn’t say much, but they were concerned about a project from your father’s company. I believe they intended to blackmail him by threatening your safety.”

“Very well, I’ll inform my father of the situation and request that adequate measures be put in place.” Silence hung in the air between the three. Being an outsider to the Generation of Miracles dynamics, Kagami smartly kept his mouth shut. But Kuroko could practically hear the questions swirling in his mind. Before Kuroko even opened his mouth, Akashi’s hand was on his shoulder.

“Are you ok?” The question was so earnest, holding everything Kuroko missed in the last year of middle school, that that’s what almost made him break. Not the unknown fear of being seen, not being threatened, not the doubt and anxiety that swirled up somewhere inside of him screaming that misdirection may not be enough, but Akashi allowing himself to care again, to be the friend he’d been before.

If Kuroko could forgive Akashi again, he would. But since there was nothing to forgive in the first place, Kuroko settled for a smile and a nod.

“Yes, Akashi-kun, Kagami-kun. I’m fine.” His honesty seemed to be enough. For fear of what Akashi might do to the two idiots on the bus, Kuroko wouldn’t divulge in details until after Akashi’s father dug up whatever legal dirt he needed. But with one glance at his light, he was able to convey a promise to tell the truth.

The air still felt a little thick. He’d have to fix that. It was over, the men would be dealt with. For now, thanks to that little field trip, the three only had another two hours together before Kagami and Kuroko had to board a bus back to Tokyo. Kuroko was not letting that time get spoiled by some petty criminals.

“Kagami-kun, can I ask you a question?”

“Mm?”

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Akashi, Kuroko mustered the most neutral expression that he could.

“Do you think we look like siblings?”

It had been something of a joke back in Teiko and it caught both of his friends off-guard. The ensuing argument, laughter, and complete shock on Kagami’s part easily wiped those ten minutes from everyone’s minds. To Kuroko’s delight, the trip ended on a good note, with everyone promising to meet up again in the future.

It was only when Kuroko, seated next to a loudly snoring Kagami and alone with his thoughts, began thinking too much. To anyone else, he was reading a murder mystery light novel. However, his eyes read over the same sentence, mind somewhere else.

_What if misdirection is no longer enough? What if the world saw him for what he really was? What if he was no longer a shadow? A phantom? The Invisible Sixth Man?_

_What if he was **just** Kuroko Tetsuya?_

**Author's Note:**

> You bet your basketball this is turning into a series about Kuroko's Lack Of Self-Worth. 8)


End file.
